kliseisen

Kliseisen is a term used in media studies to describe the systematic use or overreliance on clichés within a narrative, advertisement, or political discourse. The concept focuses on how repetition of familiar motifs can evoke recognition, speed comprehension, and shape audience expectations, often serving production efficiency as well as communicative clarity.

Etymology and scope: The coinage blends the word klisjé (cliché) with a suffix that signals a state or process in Scandinavian linguistic traditions. While it originated in Scandinavian scholarship, the term has appeared in English-language discussions through translations and cross-cultural analyses. It is not a widely standardized concept across disciplines, and usage can vary by context.

Usage and analysis: Researchers employing kliseisen examine scripts, plot devices, and visual language for recurring tropes—such as archetypal heroes, love triangles, or rags-to-riches narratives. Analyses may be qualitative, interpreting why certain clichés persist, or quantitative, counting instances to assess the density of familiar elements in a work. The aim is often to understand how clichés influence audience interpretation and production choices.

Criticism and limitations: Critics argue that the term can be vague or tautological, since clichés are by definition recognizable. They caution against overgeneralization and advocate for a precise taxonomy of tropes, clear contextual boundaries for what counts as a cliché in a given medium, and explicit methodological criteria for identifying kliseisen.

See also: clichés, tropes, framing, mass communication.